Automatic change-speed device.



J. A. IVIcKEEVER.

AUTOMATIC CHANGE SPEED DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3| I9I4. 1,137,507, Patented Apr. 27; 1915.

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J. A. MCKEEVER.

AUTOMATIC CHANGE SPEED DEVICE.

APPucATloN FILED SEPT. 3, 1914.

M www; Inventor.-

I. AI MCKEEVER. AUTOMATIC CHANGE SPEED DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3| 1914- 1,87,507 Patented. Apr. 27, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

TMW A .Jj/M Invemw:

JAMES A. Monnnvnn,

or 'Naw-YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC CHANGE-SPEED JEVICE.

memo?. i

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915;

Application mea september s, 1914. serial no. 860,016.

TojzZZ whom it may' concern;

Be it known that I, JAMES A. MoKEnvR, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and Im roved Automatic Change-Speed I )evice, o which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic gear shifting devices and more particularly to means for automatically shifting the drive connection in accordance with variations in speed induced by variations in load;

While the invention is designed especially for use with automobiles, it may be applied to shafts of any sort which are sub]ect to variable load and provided with variable drive connections. l

In the acompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a drive shaft and its operative connections more or less diagrammatically shown and partially in section, in which my invention is embodied in one form; the gear is at low speed and the shafts are still under torque,V Fig. 2 is a similar View of some of the parts in thist position of the gears but with vthe torque' released. This is normal starting positiona lFig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1"

showing the parts in position at high speed under normal load; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines 44, 5 5, respectively, Fig.' 3; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the hand operating lever;l Fig. 7 is a plan thereof; and Fig. 8 a section therethrough.

The use of an automatic change of the drive connection to compensate varying load is already known. So far as I ain aware, however, these prior devices have operated in such a manner that the change of gear ratio occurs at onceupon decrease or increase of load V(or torque) irrespective of speed change. The opening of the throttle, for instance, or declutching momentarily would bring about an undesired change of gears. The objectof the present invention is to provide an automatic change of the drive connection upon variation of torque, but controlled by change of speed. To this end I provide a locking device operated from a centrifugal element such as a governor which controls the drive change connection in accordance with the speed of the drive.

rlihe'shaft 10 is driven as usual from the engine 11 through the clutch bell 13 on the crank shaft 14. The plnion 15 on the end of shaft 10 meshes with gear 16 on the counter-shaft 17 carrying change speed gears 18 and 19 and reversing gears 20, all as well known. Shaft 21 has on lts squared end'22 sliding gears 23 adapted to mesh with either of the gears 18, 19 or 20 .and adapted to be clutched with the clutch boss 24 on pinion 15 for the direct high speed drive. The independent shaft 25 forms an extension of the shaft 21 and Y'is centered with relation thereto by a pin and socket joint 26. The two shafts are operatively connected together through the torque spring 27 one end of which is secured clutch cone 12 engagingz to the shaft 21 and the opposite end to the shaft 25. This spring is of sufficient strength to take the drive under ordinary load without material eXure. normal load, however, the spring will yield somewhat, thus causing slight relative rotary movement of the shafts 21 and 25'with relation to each other. This relative rotary `movement is utilized to shift the drive coninection and to this end a sleeve 28 is ari'anged over the abutting ends of the shafts 21 and 25. This sleeve is slidably connected to shaft 25 in any suitable manner, as by a Under ab- Y pin 29 in the shaft working in a slot 30 in the sleeve, so that while the sleeve rotates with the shaft it is free to slide longitudinally thereon. The pin 31 in the shaft 2 1 works in the tangential slot 32 inthe opposite end of the sleeve. Since the shafts are not longitudinally separable, it is obvious that the relative rotation thereof, on the lag of shaft 25 under abnormal load, causes the sleeve 28 to slide toward the left, through the action of the piny 31 in the tangential slot 32, taking the position shown in Fig. 1. This longitudinal movement of the sleeve 28 is transmitted through trunnion 33 and lever 34 to theJ spring box 35 mounted on the rod 36 of the change drive connection and inclosing springs 37 and 38 on opposite sides of the abutment 39 on the rod. Thisarrangement thus affords a yielding connection between the rod 36 and the sleeve 28, so that upon the movement of the latter tothe left, as above explained, the lever 34 moves the spring box 35 to the right and the rod 36 is held stationary) places the spring 38 under tension. In starting positends to force the ends tion and.' when the low speed gears are in mesh with onlynormal torque before the shafts have attained the predetermmed rate of speed at which the change to hlgher speed gears takes place (Fig. 2), sprin 3.7 1s under tension. This spring, 37, has su Vcient throw to shift the rod 36 to the high speed posltion (Fig. 3).

` The rod 36 is connected at 40 to the ear shifting bar 41, carrying the fork 42 w ich engages the sliding gear 23. A prolongation of the bar 41 is provided with cams 43 over which rides a roller on the arm 44 of the clutch pedal 45. 'Ihese cams 43 are so arranged that the clutch cone 12 is withdrawn 'immediately preceding any of the gear shifts, thus safeguarding the gears against injury. A connection at 46 from the 'pedal 45 to the throttle 47 closes the latter when the clutch is withdrawn for the further safeguarding of the gears.

' As above stated, my invention contemplates a locking device to prevent the immediate shift of the drive connection upon a variation of torque. In the form here shown this device comprises a locking plate 48 sliding in guides 49 and provided with a stepped slot 50 in which wor s a pin 51 on the shifting rod 36. The movement of the locking plate is controlled from a centrifugal governor 52 pinned at one end 53 to the shaft 21 and provided at its free end with a trunnion 54. -A suitable governor spring 55 apart. A pin 56 at one end of the bell crank lever 57 lengages the trunnion 54, while to the other end of ji the lever isattached one. end of the link 58 pivoted to the locking plate 48. It is obvious that as the governor rises or falls a corresponding motion is imparted to the locking plate 48. inasmuch as the steps of the slot 50 are predetermined with relation to the position of the governor and also with relation to the position of the pin 51 on the shifting rod 36, it is clear that the latter is not free to act', in spite of the fact that its spring 38 has been placed under tension by the lever 34, until the pin comes opposite one or the other of the portions or g/ of the slot 50 (Fig. 3) Consequently the opening of the throttle at any given moment, although obviously increasing the torque, will not have the effect of throwing the drive connection into low speed and the lattenwill not occur unless the speed is slowed down to such an extent (as for instance, on hill climbing) that the governor 52 moves the locking plate.` into the position in which the shifting rod may move to the right in :n or y as the case may be. For the same reason, declutching or in any other way lessening the torque, while instantly relieving spring hinged at 61 to when power is again4 applied the same gears will still be in mesh. While the device is shifting from a high to lower set of gears, .the cams 43 momentarily release the clutch and throttle the engine. This of course, releases the tension on torque spring 27 vand would tend to cause spring box 35 to return to normal position, thereby relieving the pressure on spring 38. The return `of spring box 35 however, under the infiuence Yof 'the momentarily released torque spring, may be retarded by friction-on the lever 34 (for examplaat its bearing) and vthereby rendered su ciently slow to permit the spring 38 to plerform its function of shifting gears into t e the gear may be shiftedfby hand, I provide also a hand lever 59,

permit the upper portion to be swung laterally into or out of engagement with the shifting bar 41. This engageas by a pm 62 on the lever taking into an next lower combination. In order that` pivoted at 60 and ment may'be secured 1n any suitable manner and lnving trunnion 33 to 65 aperture 63 in the bar 41. The hand lever works in a sector 64 provided with notches 65 engaged by a catch 66, carried by the rod 67 and normally held up into engaging position by the spring 68. A vthumb piece 69 is provided by lwhich the rod 67 -and catch 66 may be pressed down out of en aging position when the hand lever is shi ted in the sector. 64. A ba 70 may be formed in the opposite side o the sector to'/receive the "ead 71 formed on the back of the catch 66 -and engaging in the bay to hold the lever in its disengaged position. The leaf spring 72 normally presses the upper portion of the hand lever .59 into position to permitthe catch 66 to engage the notches 65.

The operation of the device is readily understood. Assuming that the machine had been stopped while the gears are meshed in high speed position, (Fig. 3), as is generally the case with motor cars, it is necessary to disengage the gears by means of the hand lever 59. While the locking plate 48 is in position to oppose the return shift of the shifting bar 41 by the hand lever, the governor spring 55 is still tensioned and its tendency is to bring the locking plate 48 back to the position shown in Fig. 1. Consequently, as soon as the pin 51 on shifting rod 36 is moved to the portion of the `slot between and y, drawn down bythe bell crank lever 57 until the pin reaches slot whereupon it may be moved through this by the hand lever to the portion of the slot at the right of m in which positionvthe spring 55 again acts to draw the lockingA plate down to the position shown the locking plate 48 is risate? in Fig. 1. The shifting-ofthe hand lever 59 has moved the rod 36 to the right, thus placin the spring 37 under tenslon (Flg. 2.). n this position the low speed gears 19 and 23 are in mesh and the clutch 12 may now be throw-n in. Rod 36 1s held against movement by the locking plate 48.\

As soon as the shafts attain speed, however, the governor 52 lifts the locking plate 48 so that the rod 36 is automatically shifted by spring 37 to the second speed. Further acceleration lifts the locking plate and the rod 36 is shifted to the highest speed. If,

now, an abnormal load is encountered, due to a hill or bad road conditions, the resulting torque has the effect of .placlng the springs 27 and 38 under tenslon, but the consequent tendency to shift the gear back into second speed is opposed by the locking plate 48 until the speed of the machine has been reduced suiciently to permit the governor 52 to move the locking plate down into position in which the pin 51'may travel through the portion y of the slot 50. Inke action occurs on further reduction of speed if the shafts are still laboring under abnormal torque, pin 51 traveling through portion w of the slot 50.

In the position shown in F ig. 1. the gears are at low speed, having been shifted automatically by the spring 38. The shafts are still rotating, however, under excessive load and the torque spring 27 is consequently under tension, thus shifting the lever 34 in the direction to compress spring 38. There is no lower speed to which the gears may be shifted,however, and the rod 36 has been moved to the right so far that only slight compression of the spring 38 takes place. If the shafts are now brought to a stop and the clutch thrown out of engagement, the

torque spring 27 is relieved and returns the lever 34 to normal position. This moves the spring boX 35 to the left, placing spring 37 under its greatest compression so that it is ready to automatically shift the gears to high speed again when the shafts accelerate to a predetermined number of revolutions per minute (Fig. 2). At each shift of the bar 41, one, of the cams 43 lifts the arm 44 of the clutch lever, momentarily freeing the clutch and partially closing the throttle during the gear shift. In case of accident to the automatic gear shifting device, the collar 40 may be removed, leaving the gear shift to be wholly operated by means of the hand lever 59. The slot .e at the top of the plate 48 permits the gears to be drawn into either neutral or reverse position by means of the hand lever 59 when the car is at rest.

The present invention is not limited to the precise structure shown which comprises merely an illustrative embodiment of what I claim as my invention.

' change speed mechanism.

2. In an automatic change speedl vmechanism, a torque-operated change speed device, a locking device controlling the same and a centrifugal governor operating said locking device.

3. In an automatic change speed mechanism, a pair of shafts, a torque device connecting the same, a change speed shifting member, a yielding connection between said torque devlce and shifting member and a locking device serving to temporarily detain said shifting member.

4. In an automatic change speed mechanism, a pair of shafts, a torque device connecting the same, a change speed shifting bar, an operative connection between the same and the torque device, a locking device engaging said shifting bar, a governor rotating with said shafts, and means in connection therewith for intermittently' freeing means controlled by the governor for de taining the shifting rod, substantially as described.

6. In an automatic change speed device, a pair of shafts, a torque device connecting the same, a change speed shifting rod operatively connected to the torque device, a governor rotating with said shafts, and means controlled' by the governor for temporarily detaining the shifting rod, substantially as described.

7. In an automatic change speed device, a pair of shafts, a torque device connecting the same, a change speed shifting rod operatively connected to the torque device, a governor rotating with said shafts, and means controlled by the governor for intermittently and temporarily detaining the shifting rod, substantially as described.

8. An automatic change speed device, comprising a p'air of shafts, a torque connection between the same, a variable speed drive therefor, means in connection with said torque dev ice for operatingV said change speed connection, together with a governor rotating with said shaft andv means in connection therewith controlling the automatic L- i a A' operatioh of the speed mechanism; inv vruime to this speeicatiom in the presence of combination with a. manually controlled ytwloisubscribing witnesses.

lever and means for operatively connecting I JAMES AQMC'KEEVER. the same with the-chane speed shifting con- Watn: v 5 nection to' operate the sitter. f v ROD'NEY L. MAROHANT,

Intestimony whereof I`have signed my HUBERT HowsoN. 

